An Argentine beef burger stall who expressed an interest in being involved in Willesden Green Market. Yum yum, looking forward to it.

Lots to think about

I called the person who organises the market in Acton today because I was interested to know where he got his stalls from.  I am keen to keep the cost of the stalls to traders as low as possible, but at the same time I need to make sure that this venture is viable to me, and so was looking for some helpful advice. We had a very interesting conversation, he had so many insights and gave me a lot of ideas to think about, so I'll be considering over the next few days...

We have a date

A picture of a bread stall in Portobello Market which I think looks lovely, and reflects the kind of stalls I hope to have at Willesden Green Market.

My one and only follower of this blog (so far) has given me a telling off for not updating it regularly, and he is quite right...

So in my quest to keep you interested, I wanted to let you know that I had another meeting with Peter (the regeneration manager) early this week, who told me that my proposal was welcomed by Willesden Town Centre Partnership and would I join the them when they next meet in April, to which I happily accepted.

We have agreed to launch the market on Sunday 3 May 2009, which is the week after the French Market and falls on a bank holiday weekend. Hopefully the weather will be warm and everyone should have returned from end of term holidays the week before.

Now I need to approach some traders who might be interested to have a stall, that way my proposal becomes a little more tanglible, and more financial support will be secured. In the meantime I promise to update more regularly.

In a report named 'Positioning Willesden Green' published last month, it was discovered that Willesden Green's relaxed atmosphere and strong sense of community, in which people care about their local area, are keen to get involved, and has been identified as a key strength to the area. This is something I have always felt since moving here 2 years ago, and reading this report has given me the confidence to persue the possibility of organising a regular market outside the library.

I have no experience in organising a market, and I'm hoping that this blog will interest locals and inspire them to join me in my quest. Perhaps you are just starting up a business of your own and a stall could be a good way to test your consumers, or you are one of those residents described above, and would like to offer suggestions for the Willesden Green Market.